Devils' Schneider shuts out Coyotes

Associated Press

Published 10:29 pm, Monday, February 23, 2015

Newark, N.J.

Cory Schneider had 38 saves for his third shutout of the season and the New Jersey Devils posted their first four-game winning streak in two years with a 3-0 decision over the fading Arizona Coyotes on Monday night.

Scott Gomez tallied on a first-period breakaway and Mike Cammalleri had breakaway and empty-net goals in the third period for New Jersey which had not won four in a row since early February 2013.

The win moved the Devils within eight points of a wild-card spot in their long shot bid to make the playoffs for the first time in three seasons. It also gave them points in 14 of their past 16 games at Prudential Center. It was the Devils' first win over the Coyotes since Dec. 15, 2010.

Mike Smith made 25 saves for the Coyotes, who lost their season-high sixth in a row.

Schneider, who has two shutouts and a 0.99 goals-against average in five games against the Coyotes, stopped 28 shots in the first two periods. The only one that beat him was a shot from the point by defenseman Michael Stone midway through the first period, and it found iron.

Sabres: An apologetic Buffalo Sabres rookie defenseman Nikita Zadorov intends to invest in a few more alarm clocks after being disciplined by the team for showing up late to a meeting. The 2013 first-round draft pick on Monday called it "my mistake" and says he has "100 percent no excuses" in explaining how he slept after his alarm clock failed to go off a day earlier. Zadorov apologized to his teammates and isn't ruling out using three alarm clocks. The 19-year-old was held out from playing in a 2-1 shootout loss against Nashville. Coach Ted Nolan hasn't determined if Zadorov will play at Columbus on Tuesday. In January, Zadorov was held out for two games after being late reporting to the team because of a canceled flight following the All-Star break.

Senators: The NHL has suspended Ottawa Senators defenseman Jared Cowen three games for his late hit to the head of Florida Panthers forward Jussi Jokinen. Cowen was assessed a minor penalty for interference Saturday. Jokinen was shaken up but returned to the game. The league on Monday noted the lateness of the hit plus the fact that Cowen's shoulder made contact with Jokinen's head. This is the second suspension of Cowen's career. He will lose more than $113,000 in salary and is eligible to return March 3 at Minnesota. The play came at 4:38 of the second period of Ottawa's 4-1 home victory. Jokinen skated into the Senators' zone and completed a pass when he was hit by Cowen.